The Flagstaff-Grand Canyon Ale Trail is a self-guided tour of local Flagstaff, Williams, Sedona craft breweries and you get great discounts on the Arizona high country's finest hand-crafted beers. Visit us at www.flagstaffaletrail.com

Cruiser’s has a nice patio right on Route 66, there’s sometimes live music, good food and many outstanding beer choices to awaken any palate, with a full spectrum of hand- crafted-beer styles to appeal to any taste.

Here’s a cold pint of a tasty Grand Canyon Brewing I.P.A. — well deserved after a hike on the Bill Williams Mountain trails.

Grand Canyon beer by the Grand Canyon Brewing Co.

Bill Williams Mountain trailhead is a few short miles from the Flagstaff-Grand Canyon Ale Trail!

At Cruiser’s Route 66 Cafe, there’s plenty to see, tasty barbeque and Mother Road memorabilia surrounds you! Hey, how about daydreaming about a time when gas was that price and you filled up from this beauty of a pump!

We might be packing away our swimsuits and white pants, but it’s not cold enough for your grease-stained tongs to hibernate. But if you’re going to throw a piece of meat onto the grill, stay away from drinking watery brews that might as well be melted ice. Fill your growler with some Flagstaff-Grand Canyon Ale Trail beer that pairs well with your BBQ.

Hamburgers

A thick burger on a soft bun deserves the right kind of beer to complement its juicy flavors. The best beer to pair with your BBQ steak is a gently hopped pale ale or a lager with a hint of caramel like a Vienna Lager.

Steak

What pairs best with a medium-rare steak? Set down your steak knife for a pint of a rich, malty Belgian brew like a Dubbel style beer.

BBQ Ribs

When your ribs are dripping with sauce, your meal is best paired with a beer that pulls out the best flavors of the tender meat and the sauce. Try beers with caramel, toast, and dark fruit aromas like Doppelbocks and dark German lagers like Dunkels.

Pulled Pork

Smoked pork meat means beer that takes risks with its flavor. Serve yourself a pale lager like helles or a hoppy bitter brew like an IPA that pairs well with bold BBQ sauce and pulled pork.

Bratwurst or Kielbasa

IPAs are too much for these subtly flavored meats. As your bratwurst or kielbasa sizzles on the grill, drink a dark, crisp lager like a Munich Dunkel Lager style beer or a full-bodied, amber-hued brews like a Bock style beer.

Fish

Seafood is a lighter-tasting meat, so choose a beer that’s not so heavy. Saisons, especially farmhouse ales, complement grilled fish. If grilled veggies and shrimp are on the menu, pour yourself a wheat beer like a white ale or a cloudy Hefeweizen.

Ales have been around thousands of years, as far back as the Sumerians and Egyptians, while lagers came about around the mid-nineteenth century.

But that’s not the only reason why these two beer styles are so different.

The main difference between lagers and ales come down to the type of yeast used in the brewing process. It’s because this yeast determines what ingredients and brewing techniques can be used during the brewing process.

Ales

Ales, fermented at warm temperatures, are made with a top-fermenting yeast, meaning that the yeast rises to the top of the brew during fermentation. Ales usually have a stronger taste than lagers due to fast fermentation. That’s because ales can be brewed in as little as 7 days. Many countries even serve their ales at cellar temperature.

Lager

Lagers, fermented at cold temperatures, are made with a bottom-fermenting yeast, meaning that the yeast sinks to the bottom of the brew during fermentation. Lagers need at least a month to ferment in order to age properly. This longer, colder process produces esters, giving the lager a more fruity taste. Lagers tend to be cleaner, crisper, smoother and more mellow in taste. Lagers should always be served cold.

Can you remember all that? Here’s a chart that breaks down the difference between lagers and ales:

Cyclists, runners, climbers, hikers, yoga buffs—all of us love a pint or two along the Flagstaff-Grand Canyon Ale Trail. But can we really drink a pint shortly after a good workout?

In other words, can beer really be a recovery drink?

Intense exercise depletes your body of a lot of important vitamins, electrolytes and carbs. That’s why athletes choose sports drinks and coconut water. They’re full of the good sugar and nutrients that replenish the body after a hard workout.

Beer has some of that good stuff too that’s important for muscle recovery including sugary carbs, some electrolytes, and plant-based nutrients from the hops, yeast and barley.

Drinking alcohol leaves you dehydrated, making you feel even more depleted after running those miles or lifting those weights. Plus alcohol hinders the muscle recovery process after your workout.

To make beer an ideal recovery drink, alcohol needs to be eliminated from the beer. That’s right, the good stuff.

So, is beer really a recovery drink? The simple answer: not really.

Our suggestion? Stick to sports drinks, coconut water and H2O as your go-to recovery drink. Drink beer an hour or two later when you can enjoy it with friends along the Flagstaff-Grand Canyon Ale Trail. What’s the fun in drinking beer when you’re chugging it down while still panting for air?

Drinking from a dirty growler affects the quality taste of the beer filled inside of it. Plus, a bartender will not fill your growler if it is not cleaned properly—or at all.

We don’t want you to walk away from your favorite Flagstaff brewery with an empty growler. Make sure you follow these three easy steps to cleaning your growler so that you’re never refused service—or a quality beer drinking experience.

First, rinse your growler numerous times with very hot water. If possible, avoid using any bleach or detergents. When rinsing, swirl the water around the growler. Shake it to get as much water out as possible.

Second, turn your growler upside down and let it dry completely, preferably in a place where air still gets up in the growler’s tight spots where water can often linger.

Summer is the perfect time to pop open a beer from your favorite Flagstaff brewery and barbeque some brats, burgers, ribs, and pork chops. But before you throw your meat onto the fire, how about soaking it in some beer?

Beer is both a delicious beverage and an excellent way to marinade your meat. So instead of brushing some store-bought sauce, consider glazing your meat with your brew.

Here’s why:

Beer Marinades Are Excellent Meat Tenderizers

Beer is slightly acidic. This helps soften the meat fibers and lets you enjoy leaner cuts that are often too tough to eat.

Beer Marinades Don’t Alter the Meat’s Flavor

Wine and vinegar-based marinades don’t do the trick. Beer complements and even enhances the natural flavors of the meat.

Beer Marinades Fight Off Cancer

Cooking raw meat at high temps develops cancer-causing chemicals called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) on the meat, hiding within the juices and fat that drip down the meat while grilling. When you marinade your meat with beer, the antioxidants and polyphenols in beer target the PAHs. In other words, marinading your meat in beer releases the good substances to fight off the bad substances. That’s why if you marinade with beer, it’s important to soak your meat for at least four hours.

Here’s How To Marinade With Beer

Poke a few holes in the meat, preferably on both sides.

Put the raw meat in a sealable container or resealable bag before pouring in your favorite beer.

Seal the container or bag and store in the refrigerator for at least four hours, overnight for best results.

Take out of the fridge and throw the meat onto the grill.

Discard the beer marinade properly. Don’t drink or taste the beer marinade where raw meat has been soaking.